The association between lower limb asymmetry changes and cricket bowlers’ workloads in elite academy cricketers

Strength and power protocols have been predominately utilised to assess asymmetries however, there is restricted research regarding how asymmetries may change over time. It has been reported that individuals who participate in sports that are acyclic will be predisposed to greater lower limb asymmetries. Limited research has been conducted into asymmetries with young bowlers. Bowlers account for the most time loss injuries within cricket and further knowledge is required to understand how lower limb asymmetries could improve performance and reduce injury within this population. Twelve academy cricketers were recruited from Middlesex County Cricket Club to take part in a 6-week study to evaluate if any changes occurred during their off-season. The following protocols were employed: countermovement jump (CMJ), single leg countermovement jump (SL CMJ), single leg drop jump (SL DJ), triple hop (TH), knee to wall (KTW), straight leg raise (SLR) and single leg sit and reach (SL S&R). There was a significant interaction displayed by the back foot (BF) during the SL CMJ between the fast and spin bowling groups over time (F1,3 = 3.198, p < 0.05, ηp2 = 0.242). A statistically significant change in KTW asymmetry was observed over the 6-weeks (F1,3 = 4.121, p<0.05, ηp2 = 0.292) between both groups. Spin bowlers displayed greater change to their physical output than was hypothesised and therefore need to be prioritised in a similar manner to how fast bowlers have been managed in recent years. Total workload, rather than just individual parameters, such as total overs bowled per week, need to be collected by coaches to ensure accurate conclusions regarding why changes may have occurred. Furthermore, more attention is required towards spin bowlers who are not as highly prioritised as fast bowlers. Spin bowlers reported lower limb asymmetry differences, in particular KTW asymmetry, that were greater than the fast bowlers and could be detrimental to performance and increase their risk of injury.